TOKYO – Eumir Marcial faces what is regarded as the biggest hurdle between him and a boxing gold medal when he takes on Ukraine's Oleksandr Khyzhniak on Thursday in the middleweight semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics boxing competition.
Marcial needed less than six minutes or two rounds to put away the first two opponents he faced here, but now finds himself face to face with a top-seeded Ukrainian who is a former world champion and twice the champion of Europe.
Two reputable boxing sources claim Khyzhniak - named the Best Boxer of the 2017 World Championships and the Male Athlete of the Year of his native Ukraine - is unbeaten since 2016 in a stretch where he won 61 matches in a row.
Grudge match
That win streak included a victory over Marcial himself in 2019, although coach Ronald Chavez was quick to point out that he stopped the fight in the second round only because the Filipino boxing star suffered an shoulder injury.
"Na-injured po ako kaya hininto na ni coach Ronald ang laban," said Marcial, looking back on that face-off in the Strandja Internationl Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria.
Marcial, however, hardly looked daunted by the approaching rematch against Khyzhniak, probably because he believes he is better than ever after a short fling in the pro ranks that included training under the famed Freddie Roach.
The months leading to his signing with Manny Pacquiao's promotional outfit and pro debut had been nothing short of tumultuous, but he looks rejuvenated and focused as he chases a lifelong dream to be an Olympic champion.
Boxing insiders said Marcial's mind may often wander when inactive, but there's no questioning his focus and drive during competition.
That single-minded purpose was on show in his quarterfinal fight over the weekend against fellow pro fighter and Roach fighter Arman Darchinyan, who he floored with a thundering right hook to the jaw just two minutes into the bout.
The blow left the nephew of two-time world champion Vic Darchinyan so dazed the referee didn't even bother to count.
After the fight, Marcial, 25, declared he is in the best shape of his career. "Sa pakiramdam ko, kundisyon na kundisyon ako ngayon. Ready na ready po ako sa laban na ito," he told Filipino reporters.
Judging from what they just saw, no one dared to doubt Marcial's words.
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